Chapter 82: An Unexpected Delight

... Zhou Yi wasted no words; the two of them had endured a day and night of anxiety with only half a bottle of water to sustain them—it was a feat of endurance in itself.

"Call Cheng Zhi in."

The fat man agreed readily, shouting toward the entrance. Cheng Zhi hurried in, unable to conceal the joy on his face when he saw Zhou Yi sitting up.

"Sir, you're awake!"

Zhou Yi nodded slightly.

The fat man grunted twice behind him. "Earlier, Cheng Zhi fed you a flower. I thought you were done for—I was worried sick. Luckily, it wasn't anything serious. Can you move your hands?"

Zhou Yi frowned minutely, puzzled by this seemingly random statement. "What flower?"

Cheng Zhi hurried closer and recounted the story: how after the gravekeeper died and turned to dust, a flower had appeared where Zhou Yi had lain. He finished with a worried look, but seeing that Zhou Yi wasn't angry, he relaxed a little.

"I thought that flower's sudden appearance might have something to do with this Five Elements Tomb. You subdued three spirit stones already, so at least they're not harmful to you. But you were still unconscious, so I thought it might help and fed it to you."

What could Zhou Yi say? Should he have conducted a pharmacological analysis first? Ever since learning that the base and the real world both existed, he'd come to accept all sorts of strange things. The gravekeeper appeared human, but who truly knew what it was? Still, when he collapsed, the pain in his hands had been much more intense than now—perhaps the flower really had helped.

Thinking this, he smiled at Cheng Zhi and nodded. "Don't blame yourself. That flower seems to have worked—my hands don't hurt nearly as much. Fatty, help me sit cross-legged so you don't have to support me anymore."

The fat man complied, carefully bending Zhou Yi's legs and arranging him comfortably. Zhou Yi leaned forward, allowing the fat man to step back. He rolled his shoulders; the numb, aching sensation had faded a great deal, likely from being immobile for too long. After some movement and rubbing his hands together, he raised his wrist and opened the control panel.

He took food and water from the storage box. The fat man quickly took them, and the three shared the supplies. Zhou Yi didn't feel particularly hungry—he drank a few sips of water and watched the other two devour their portions ravenously.

"Is it still raining outside?"

Cheng Zhi nodded. "It's lessened, but after a day and night, the whole Gobi is saturated. In the nearby valleys, even the dead trees and rocks have been swept away. It's not quite a mudslide, but if it keeps up, it could threaten us here."

Zhou Yi nodded, then took out the earth and wood spirit stones. Watching the others finish eating, he said, "You two should each find a spot and try to sense the spirit energy within the stones. Now that you've awakened your attributes, absorb as much as you can. Later, we still have to hand these over to the base.

"As for this world, I don't think there's any reason to investigate further. We can't possibly walk out of the Gobi on foot for a month or two—not with our equipment. Once you've absorbed what you can, I'll contact Sophia. This world is completely cut off from the base; it's the best chance we'll get. Make the most of it."

The fat man eagerly grabbed the yellow spirit stone and snatched an energy bar as well, grinning mischievously. "I'll head inside, then."

Cheng Zhi also approached, picking up the green spirit stone. He looked at Zhou Yi, as if wanting to say something but hesitating. Their mental contract allowed Zhou Yi to sense his uncertainty.

"If you have something to say, just say it. We're in this together—there's no need to hesitate or weigh your words."

Cheng Zhi crouched, looking up at Zhou Yi. "If we absorb the energy from these stones and then return them to the base, won't you be blamed by the lord? The lord seemed..."

Zhou Yi smiled and shook his head slightly. The metal spirit stone he'd returned before contained barely a tenth of the energy these new stones did. Judging by Waldner's reaction, such stones were exceedingly rare; no one seemed concerned about whether their energy had been depleted.

"Don't worry—the energy in each spirit stone varies, and there's no way to tell if they've been drained. Go ahead and try to absorb it."

Cheng Zhi's eyes brightened at this reassurance. Remembering how Zhou Yi had collected those stones in the 2000 Worlds, he became even more certain that Zhou Yi had known about the spirit stones all along. He'd seen the chosen ones from the base's other teams—arrogant to a fault, treating slaves with utter disdain. Compared to them, being Zhou Yi's slave didn't seem so bad.

Perhaps, in a few years, he could return to the 2000 Worlds. If those spirit stones all contained such immense energy, they'd be set for life.

With this in mind, Cheng Zhi nodded firmly. "Rest assured, sir. I'll try absorbing the energy now—at least next time we face gravekeepers or hunters, we'll be able to put up a fight."

"Go on. Focus your senses, then try to control it. Your initial awakening was triggered by the spirit stone—do your best to recapture that feeling."

Cheng Zhi took the spirit stone and headed for the cave entrance, leaving Zhou Yi alone in the stone chamber.

With a flip of his wrist, Zhou Yi retrieved the water and metal spirit stones from the storage box. One was icy cold, the other radiated a gentle warmth. He couldn't help but think how undignified it sounded to cry "Spray for me, master!" every time he wanted to use them.

Moreover, though he could control the metal element, it was difficult to wield—his fingers would certainly break each time. Was it worth breaking a finger for every use? This time, the little flower conjured by the gravekeeper had saved him, but would he be so lucky next time?

And what about that strange space he'd been drawn into? What kind of place was it?

Had his weakened state left him vulnerable to its influence? Or was something always watching his every move? The statues seemed like defective products, all collected together—was that place a dumping ground for the useless?

Sophia saw value in him because of the mark; Fatty and Cheng Zhi were bound by spiritual contracts and couldn't resist. If they ever grew powerful, would he really still control them, as Sophia claimed?

He understood little about the base or the hunters; all his information came from Sophia. How much of what she said was true? Was she genuinely helping him, or merely using the mark for her own ends?

Zhou Yi sighed. He couldn't unravel the mystery, nor could he guess the truth. Whether it was the base's hierarchy, the threat of the Hunters, or the enigmatic voice, these were challenges he could not yet face.

Since he'd been allowed to return, he needed to seize every moment to improve himself—power was the only answer.

He closed his eyes, calming his mind. Grasping both spirit stones, he focused on sensing the energy within. Previously, he'd tried to win the stones' acceptance; now, he meant to truly absorb their power.

With his previous experience at the base, the process went smoothly. Two currents, one cold and one warm, rose from his arms. Had anyone been present, they would have been astonished: blue and green mists swirled around Zhou Yi, rotating as they rose up his arms and were finally inhaled above his head.

Minute by minute, Zhou Yi felt the nourishing, alternately hot and cold forces suffuse his body—so comfortable he nearly sighed aloud.

As the mists thinned, the forces waned. Zhou Yi slowly opened his eyes and saw that the two spirit stones were only slightly smaller than before—this surprised him.

He put the stones away and stretched out his hands. The swelling in his fingers had vanished completely—an unexpected benefit.

He couldn't tell how much stronger his abilities had become, but as he stood and moved about, he felt as if he'd awakened from the most restful sleep, all aches and stiffness gone.

The campfire in the stone chamber had burned out. Outside, the cave mouth was flooded with bright light—had the rain stopped?

Suddenly, a pained moan from Cheng Zhi echoed from the entrance.

"Mm... ah!"